It often seems that contemporary culture is made up of everyone railing against everyone else, it becomes difficult to tell the difference between true dissent that resists genuine oppression, from a form of therapeutic dissent, good for soothing our insecurities and projecting a contrived public persona, so we may feel the warm embrace of our peers and in group.This collection of dissenting voices comes from people who hail from different countries, political persuasions, generations, and walks of life. These dissenters have paid or are paying the price for expressing unpopular ideas that put them in jeopardy, because they don't uphold a prevailing status quo, but go against the grain, contradicting or antagonizing others in their professional, political, or social circle, often triggering backlash, punishment, cruelty, loss, and ostracization. Like other dissenters before them, they have faced their fears to buck and challenge those who to want to shut them up, and in so doing they make the world more interesting and the conversation richer. They help illustrate the real value and meaning of true dissent and its critical role in tempering positions, speaking truth to power, balancing debate, and helping the center to hold.